


Her Pace

by Arithra



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Genderbending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-26
Updated: 2013-11-26
Packaged: 2018-01-02 18:13:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1059953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arithra/pseuds/Arithra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Trafalgar Law first met Strawhat Luffy in the auction house on Sabaody, he like everyone else, assumed her to be male. It was a simple fact. A fact that would not survive their second meeting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Her Pace

The first time Law met Strawhat Luffy he had already heard a lot about the crazy rookie. He had also been very secure in his knowledge that the rival captain was male like most of the world did.

Not that Luffy did anything to disabuse people from the notion, those that mattered where aware of it, some even encouraged the gender confusion but fact was that what marines in general or even other pirate crew thought simply didn't matter.

To Luffy it made no difference that she was female. She would be pirate king and if her gender would disabuse people from that notion it was better not to correct them. It might be troublesome once in a while, like when Sanji found out and pretty much had an identity crisis which ended with the cook labeling his captain as genderless and thus kickable, but all in all she didn't really care.

When Trafalgar Law first met her in the auction house in Sabaody, he like everyone else, assumed her to be male. It was a simple fact.

A fact that would not survive their second meeting.

–

In his life Law had done more emergency operations than he had done planned ones. It might have to do with the fact that he had lived most of his life connected to the underworld and under the helm of on of the seven Shichibukai, but given the fact that his conditioning had allowed him to save the life of his crewmates several times, he would not complain.

But all the conditioning had not prepared him for the surprise he got when he cut open strawhats vest to have better access to the wound that was slowly killing him.

He ripped aside the bloodied vest and then froze and for a moment he stared rather unprofessionally.

A pair of breasts. Rather small, but a pair of breasts none the less. Law almost reached out to touch them to make sure that they were really there, but managed to refrain.

He could not manage to get back to treating him – her – whatever, he could not get back to treating Strawhat however as his brain functions seem to have frozen.

It wasn't like he had seen boyish girls, of girly looking boys before, but had someone asked him if Strawhat could be one of them, he would have laughed.

His brain tried to convince him maybe it was Ivankovs fault, if the rumors were to be believed a genderchange was not beyond the mans powers, but given the fact that Strawhat was also wearing a sports bra, it was highly unlikely that is was a new addition.

Unable to believe what he was seeing Law stared some more.

He would frown at his behaviors later, after all it wasn't like it was the first time he had seen a pair of breast, but at that moment it took Strawhats convulsing and splitting blood to get him out of his shock.

Then his conditioning kicked in again and he finally got back to saving Strawhats life.

It was a revelation however, that would throw him off for years to come.

–

Saving Strawhat Luffys life turned out to be one of the most difficult operations of his career and thus he was not all that pleased to discover that the Strawhats distress and anger would likely open up the injuries again.

Law had never been particularly fond of seeing his work going to waste but he could not bring himself to leave. There was something suspiciously tight in his throat as he watched the other pirate mourn the loss of her brother.

Glancing aside towards the former Shishibukai Jimbei, he noted that the fisherman at least had the decency no rest. Another crash sounded from where his crew was trying to subdue Strawhat and his gaze fell down towards the hat that the clown pirate had thrown a him.

If he had grasped the situation at Marineford correctly it had to do with a promise to the Yonko redhaired Shanks, but the hat, while in surprisingly good shape, was older then the man. Law glanced over to his crew, Strawhat was nowhere to be seen, neither was Jimbei. And given that Law could only hope that the fisherman would manage to get trough to Strawhat and stop the girl from continuing with her self destructive actions.

After Jimebi came out of the forest some time later Law decided to check for himself if the fishermans words had managed to make an impact. The silence indicated that they had, since the girls rampage hadn't been missed by anyone on this island.

He found her sitting on the ground, staring at what seemed to be a giant mushroom.

"Strawhat - ya?"

Law stepped out into the clearing, twirling the had with his finger.

Luffy looked at him and gave a weak smile, while not quite back to normal it seemed to be an improvement.

"Torao."

Law held up the hat.

"It's Trafalgar. And I have something that's yours."

She stared at the hat long and hard, but made no move to take it from his outstretched hand.

"I can't take it."

She averted her eyes from him and gazed down on her hands.

"When I couldn't even..."

Law frowned, before coming to a decision. He stepped up to the girl and pushed the hat against her chest, forcing her to grasp it in order to prevent it from falling to the ground.

"Is that what your brother would have wanted for you?"

Immediately the girls eyes snapped back onto him again. She was looking at him with wide eyes and Law felt a little uncomfortable.

"He obviously cared a lot for you. Would he want you to give up like this?"

He had absolutely no idea why he continued to talk. He was no good when it came to cheering people up, there was a reason he was a doctor and not a psychiatrist after all.

"No."

Luffys voice was soft and there was a smile on her face.

"He would never want me to give up."

Law looked away.

"There you have it. Now get back into shape."

He turned around and started to walk back towards the shore.

"We will see each other in the new world."

It was a fact and even when the girl did not answer some part of him knew, that it would stay a fact as well. There was no way Strawhat would stop now.

He ordered his crew to prepare as his mind came up with a new scheme. Maybe there was a way to turn his appearance at Marineford into something positive after all.

Law flexed his hand a dark smirk playing on his features.

There was this one skill he still needed to refine.

–

The papers revealed the happenings at Marineford to the whole world, they also revealed the fact that Monkey D. Luffy was Garpss granddaughter. Given his own reaction to the gender revelation Law was pretty sure that the newspaper had gotten lots of letter informing them of the mistake they had made concerning Strawhat Luffys gender.

The following editions proved him right, as they went on about the fact that they had not made a mistake, and caused him to smirk, quite pleased with the fact that he had figured it out beforehand.

Not long after they had left Amazon Lily behind the paper reported another outrageous story. A story that had brought smirk to Laws face again, even if Bepo commented that it looked more like a smile.

Storming Marineford in the middle of the rebuilding effort?

It seemed like Strawhat would never do anything by halves. With a pleased nod he put down the paper and went back to waiting for the marines reaction to his little present.

Though his plan was in full swing after he achieved the position of one of the seven Shishibukai his thoughts kept coming back to the other captain against his will.

It was a trend that had continued on through the two years until the reappearance of her and her crew in Sabaody, despite the fact that his mind should be full with his plans. Ceasar Clown was not someone he should underestimate. If he slipped he would not see her again.

Maybe he should have been startled by his thoughts at that time, but given that he was in the middle of a scheme he had dreamed of for a long time, he paid it no mind.

He probably should have, given her history of feeds that were not only outrageous, but also unbelievable, but as it was he was completely blindsided by the Strawhats pirates arrival on Punk Hazard.

–

To say that Trafalgar Law had been shocked by the arrival of the Strawhat pirates would have been a horrible understatement. For a moment he had even played with the idea of trying to convince himself that only some of the members of the Strawhat crew were on Punk Hazard but in the end common sense won and he gritted his teeth.

There was not really anything he could do about it except to hope that it would not mess up the plans he had with Cesar Clown.

Not much later he comes upon Strawhat Luffy herself and while he is slightly indignant that she cannot remember his name this might be something that he can use to his advantage. Maybe Luffys unpredictability would manage to shift the odds of his endeavor in his favor.

So he offered her an alliance and was left to wonder if he had bitten off more then he could shew. For now the fact that that Luffy continued to butcher his name even after they had joined forced was his greatest source of irritation.

That and the fact that she somehow roped him into helping the children. Not that he was generally opposed to the idea. It was simply the fact that he would rather get his plan over with, going up against Doflamingo, even if only in the form of one of the people working for him set his nerves on the edge.

"Torao!"

And Strawhat wasn't helping at all, given that his irritation at the name mangling added to his general state of anxiousness, did not make him a very patient person at all.

"My name is Trafalgar."

Luffy shrugged.

"So I will take care of the clown guy and you and Chopper make sure that the children are alright Torao."

Law twitched. He would have rather avoided doing this but it might just be the only way to preserve his sanity and rational mind.

"Call me Law."

The response he got to that was not what he had hoped. Instead of grinning and agreeing and then calling him by his proper name, Luffy frowned seemingly deep in thought.

It took the young woman a moment to come to a decision and all the while Law was standing in front of her and contemplating whether it would by a good idea to simply walk away now and deal with the possible fallout later.

Just as he came to the conclusion that whatever the fallout might be it wouldn't be half as annoying as standing in the middle of a snowstorm Luffy spoke up again.

"I guess I wouldn't mind calling you by your first name now that we are friends."

The correction came automatically.

"Allies."

"But..."

Laws eyebrow twitched in irritation. There just had to be a but didn't there?

The Strawhat capatin carried on obvious to his irritation.

"But I like Torao better."

The twitching of his eyebrow intensified, but as he studied the Luffys face he came to an unfortunate realization. Because the expression on the other captains face was determined and judging from the look in her eyes Law knew that whatever argument he would come up with would be shot down by her irrational counterarguments that would only irritate him further.

There was no helping it and Law knew a losing battle when he saw one. So he resigned himself to the unavoidable.

"You better be careful. Ceasar is not an opponent that you should underestimate. It will get you killed."

Luffy simply laughed him off. and

The only thing left for him to do at his point was hope that he had not just made the biggest mistake in his career as a pirate. It was the grin on Strawhats face however that made him feel like it had been a good choice, it was the grin of a woman who had been challenged.

He did not notice the anticipating grin that had found its way onto his face until the little reindeer pointed it out.

–

There was one thing about Strawhat Luffy that Law was sure he would never manage to forget again: Whatever she did the outcome was always spectacular.

Either it went very well or very bad.

While Law had planned for the possibility of his imprisonment and had prepared for it, being suspended in the air inside a big cage with not only his allies but also with a pair of marines, had not been the kind of imprisonment he had expected.

The fact that Nice Robin seemed to find some amusement from the situation did not help at all.

They managed to escape the cage and set their plan into motion thanks to his careful planning.

The fact that his imprisonment had been broadcasted all over the underworld would remain a sore spot for the years to come, but for now he had more important business to take care off.

Like winning back his heart.

Not knowing that even after he had done so, he would loose it again shortly after that.

–

When he stepped on board the Thousand Sunny he tried to forget about the strange party he had just taken part in. A party with marines of all things. The only logical thing he had done after Ceasars defeat was sending the heads of Baby 5 and Buffalo out to the sea in the lifeboat.

Still the party, no matter how absurd, wasn't completely useless.

Smokers questioning of his motives, which to his ears sounds far more like a warning, was nothing if not amusing. What was it about Strawhat Luffy that made those who should consider her an enemy, look after her instead.

Crocodile and Boa Hanckock had done it at marineford and now Smoker, a marine, was doing the same thing. Luffy somehow had managed to win the respect of all kinds of people, making them look out for her in their own way, whether they were her allies or not. It was a rather terrifying ability for a person to process.

Despite trying not to think about it Law found himself thinking back to his own actions two years ago, he had not only gone to marineford and helped a woman who had put herself directly against the world government, he had also saved her life and waited for her to be out of immediate danger before leaving her side.

Still Law felt a little better knowing that at least he was not the only one affected. The fact that it did not explain Strawhats immediate presence in thoughts was firmly pushed aside.

He could not allow himself to be distracted from their current goal. As they sailed away from Punk Hazard he had no idea however what this journey had in from him.

–

Law wasn't quite sure how he was feeling when he read about the news that Doflamingo had bowed to their demands yet it left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

It had been gone perfectly according to plan and maybe that was part of what made him uneasy, he had learned firsthand how easy it was for the king of Desserossa to play people like puppets.

He knew that with this move he had made Doflamingo more than a simply opponent or rival, by doing this he had made an enemy. Sitting on board the Thousand Sunny he could not help but wonder if the question he had asked Smoker would come into effect.

Would the Strawhats find their end by his hand, be it indirect or through his enmity with Doflamingo?

Well there was no going back, the battle lines had been drawn and the opponents decided, still part of him was wondering who else Luffy would manage to draw into their coming fights. She had a talent for making people involve themselves in situations that they could have done without.

It had been his plan, but he felt like he had already handed the reigns of it over to someone else. Hopefully he would at least manage to reunite with his crew.

Quite frankly Law was sure that he would not get out of this whole affair with his santity intact. He had thought Strawhat Luffy was the exception, but now that he had spent some time with the rest of the crew as well, he was painfully aware of the fact, that insanity seemed to come with the package, and while some of the Strawhat pirates might have flashes of what seemed to be a normal mental stat, alone the fact that they could stand the chaos around them proved otherwise.

Maybe he should have expected it. He had been in the auction house as well after all. He had seen how Strawhat Luffy had punched the Tenryubito and how her crew had taken it more or less in stride.

Some of them had looked like they had been waiting for something like this to happen the whole time.

Back then he had brushed that thought aside, but now that he was on board the Strawhats ship sailing towards Desserossa and what would probably be their death, he knew his first impression had been dead on.

There was no way this crew was anywhere near sane, given that they were treating their current course like any other fun trip and worst of all Law felt himself slowly get caught up in their pace.

He knew how to avoid it – he had survived under Doflamingo for a reason, but getting caught up with Luffy and her crew was far far easier then getting caught by Doflamingo. He really missed his own crew, despite being eccentric, they were still perfectly normal when compared to the Strawhat pirates. And their antics were so much more easier to tolerate.

Law could only hope that his decision to work with Luffy did not turn out to be a big mistake, since he wasn't sure he could keep from being drawn in much longer.

After all he had already caught himself slipping several times.

Then Luffy pointed out that they were in the newspaper as well, he almost slipped again. Instead he did something far worse, because the moment the saw their pictures next to each other in the newspaper, his thoughts were not the appropriate words damn or even shit but instead, he thought that they looked great next to each other.

Maybe he was slipping after all, but this time in an even worse trap then the pace of Doflamingo. He shoved those thoughts aside and forced himself to get back on track, he could not afford those kind of distractions right now. Strawhat Luffy was an allied captain right now, that she was also a pretty woman was irrelevant.

The game had begun.

–

When Law heard the announcement that the victor of the tournament had been decided and that said victor was Luffy come from the loudspeakers that were pretty much everywhere in Desserossa, he thought back to the instructions he had given to make sure that the plan would work out.

He had paid special attention to the fact that they should, under no circumstances draw attention to themselves hadn't he?

Or had he missed it?

Given by the shocked looks on the faces of the Strawhats that were still with him, he was pretty sure that he hadn't. He could not help groaning, his mind working furiously to come up with a plan that would not end with their untimely end, as he ignored the sympathetic looks on the faces of his current companions.

Looks that told him quite clearly, that while they had hoped it wouldn't happen, they hadn't really believed it and expected something like this.

For one second he wondered why they hadn't at least warned him, but his answer came far more easy then it should have.

It was Strawhat Luffy after all. She didn't do plans and instead what she felt like. Plans where thrown out of the window without a moments thoughts, laws were, if anything, considered to be guidelines.

It was all a days work for Monkey D. Luffy.

Just what had he been thinking when he had decided to offer her an alliance?

It was this question he contemplated while they ran for their lives and Laws final answer went somewhere along the lines of this:

Bringing down Kaidou and Doflamingo was not something a sane person would attempt, fact his ally had to be mildly insane at least.

The chances of bringing them down where slim even with strong allies, so his ally had to be a daredevil.

Law did not like following orders, so his ally could not be someone who would try to make him a lackey.

The thought that Strawhat was cute and he rather liked her, was viciously ignored and when that did not work, pushed aside in favor of the reasons that would not cause raised eyebrows and with a deep mental sigh Law resigned himself to the fact that plans were meaningless and he would have to make do with split second decisions.

He could only hope that Luffys ridiculous luck with those kind of decisions balanced out his bad luck, given that the last decision of that kind Law had made, was to join Doflamingo.

And he remembered only to well how that had turned out.

Something not to far from them exploded and marines poured onto the plaza. Law supressed the urge to curse loudly.

–

Some days later Trafalgar Law was still suspended in a state of complete disbelieve as he and the Strawhat crew made their way to Zo where he would hopefully meet up with his crew.

The whole experience had been surreal. Given that the last realistic thing he clearly remembered taking place was the announcement that had proclaimed Luffy the victor of the tournament held in Desserossa and that by now they had already finished their business on the island, still breathing and not missing any limbs, and had left the island behind, experience might not be quite the word he should use to describe what had happened.

Maybe Law would find a more fitting description once he figured out what had happened, but for now suspended disbelieve was a fabulous state to be in. Though part of his current state might be an aftereffect of the battle with his former captain

–

When he had taken Doflamingos attack head on Law had been quite sure that he would never wake up again. The man was ridiculously strong and had held his position as a shishibukai and the most influential man in the underworld for a reason, a reason that was not solemnly his intelligence. It was one of the reasons he had decided that he would need a strong ally to set his plan into effect with any chance of victory.

So when he opened his eyes and his surroundings swam into focus accompanied by a terrible headache he was shocked as he realized that the fight wasn't over.

Instead he had returned to consciousness just in time to witness Luffy deliver the finishing move that ended the battle with her victory. Law found himself utterly transfixed at the sight of her.

She was standing over Doflamingos fallen body, the once pink jacked strained with blood and dirt, her fist still clenched and breathing heavily. The strawhat that had given her her epigraph hung at her back, but even so he could not see the expression on the young womans face as her hair obstructed his view.

Luffy simply stood there for a long moment not relaxing and given from her posture probably staring down at the body of her fallen opponent.

Slowly, mindful of his injuries, Law pushed himself into a sitting position and groaned as not only his ribs, but also his head protested his actions. When his gaze fell back on Luffy he found her staring at him with an unreadable look on her face.

Law cracked a grin.

"Good work."

To his surprise Luffy did not react instead she continued to stare at him. Shrugging very slightly to himself Law slowly stood up swaying as the aftereffects of Doflamingos attack made themselves known again.

He was unsteady and even had he anticipated it, there was no way he would have been able to stay on his feet when Luffy slammed into him, knocking them to the ground again while hugging him tightly to herself.

Law would have pushed her up as soon as he could, if it had not been for the fact that he noticed the impossibly tense set of her shoulders and the slightly shaking of her body beforehand.

He had no idea what to do, but he knew, that shrugging her off might not be the best idea so he ignored the pain of his ribs, thankfully not broken just slightly cracked, and held still as Luffy held him in a desperate embrace.

In retrospect Law should probably have anticipated that she would not take the situation to well. He had taken the hit for her and the last time someone had done that for her... had been Ace in Marineford. And he knew how that had turned out.

The realization that he himself had taken the punch despite knowing full well what it could mean jarred him more then the impact on the ground had and left the two pirate captains sitting on the ground.

Luffy still clinging to him Law was dumbfounded by a revelation that had not been part of any of his schemes at all.

It was something that he had never even considered yet he did nothing to escape the womans embrace. His haze however did move and landed an Doflamingos beaten form on the ground, before taking in the state of destruction the once spotless room was in now.

Law had never really considered Luffys rubber abilities to be very proficient when it came to large scale destruction, but it seemed like he had to rethink.

"You beat him."

Law knew that he was simply talking to fill the silence that had evolved them and he really hadn't expected Luffy to do more then nod, so when she did her voice slightly horse he was surprised.

"Of course."

She did not lift her head away from his shoulder, but he could hear the smile none the less.

"I never looses when my nakamas life are on the line."

Law hummed thinking about the members of both of their crews that might still be fighting somewhere in Doflamingos palace the tightening of the young womans arm around him jolted him out of his thoughts however.

"You are one of them as well Torao."

He knew that she must have felt the tensing of his whole body, but she ignored it and simply chuckled slightly.

"So don't do something like that again. Promise not to die."

Against his better knowledge he relaxed again, another wall he had build up between himself and the world crumbling to dust.

"I can't promise that Strawhat-ya."

And it was the truth he mused as he slipped his own arms around her and returned the embrace. He knew that he would take that hit again even now, despite the fact that it could mean his death.

Luffys hold on him relaxed slightly as she felt his arms surround her and he could feel her give a deep sight against his throat.

Law suppressed a shiver at the feeling of her warm breath ghosting over his skin and an even harder one as he realized just what he had been thinking about.

Taking a possibly lethal bow for her? What had he gotten himself into?

He should have told her that he wasn't one of her nakama. He was an ally and they would only fight together for as long as their plan – his plan – was unfinished.

After that they would be rivals again.

Yet he hadn't said a thing, instead he had accepted her words. Nakama? Friends?

Just what had he gotten himself into?

And why had part of him been happy when she had called him one of her nakama?

Law sighted as well. They should really get up and search for the other members of her crew, Doflamingo was not the only danger on this island. There were some of the gladiators who seemed to hold a grudge against Luffy, the marines and even CP0. He should move, even if his whole body was hurting and his skull pounding, especially since Strawhat was still sluggishly bleeding from some of the wounds she had gained during the fight with Doflamingo, but despite his better knowledge he did not move for a long time.

This was one short moment he would allow himself and then everything would go back to normal and he would not have to think about her again.

What jerked him out of his oddly comfortable position and finally made him get on his feet again, were the voices of the Strawhat pirates calling for them, obviously worried.

He was the only one who tried to get up though as Luffy had apparently fallen asleep on him.

Law chooses not to shake her off she would need all the rest she could get, because there was no way Kaidou would let this one slide. They had taken out his supplier and stunted the growth of his army of beasts. The man would want vengeance.

The true battle would start now.

And Law, looking down at the head of messy black hair pressed against his chest, could not help but muse that he was fighting a battle on multiple fronts. The stakes while different in each battle where equally high.

–

Kaidous army turned out to be different from what Doflamingos notes and the data at the factory had implied. It seemed like whichever method Kaidou had used to bind his subordinates absolute loyalty to him had also eliminated their humanity.

The first opponents they had met upon their arrival had been little more then vaguely humanoid shapes driven by Kaidous orders.

Their first view on Kaidou himself had been unexpected though.

Law wasn't quite sure if it was surprise he felt when he realized that the maddest beast of them all is Kaidou himself. Maybe he should have expected it given the mans reputation, but another part of him is protesting this revelation.

Kaidou was cruel and merciless yes, but he had not only held his position for quite some time he had also managed to amass considerable status and wealth while doing so and that was not something the mad beast they had been confronted with would have been capable of.

Their plan, and why did he even bother to come up with one to begin with, had already been shot to hell. This time though it hadn't been Luffys fault, but instead because they had severely misjudged their opponent.

Not underestimated, but misjudged and that had made all previous planning useless.

Given the fact that they had planned because in terms of sheer strength they might not be able to stand at the same level as the man, the shit had skipped the frying pan and jumped straight into the fire.

They had been scattered all over Kaidous base. A base that was swarming with mindless beasts that had once been human.

Law himself had been separated from his own crew and the strawhat pirates when they had been swarmed by a large number of beasts in one of the main hallways. While fighting he had gotten lost in the maze that was Kaidous headquarters and by now the only indication to where his companions where was the sound of fighting.

He had been supposed to accompany Luffy to her fight with Kaidou and back her up against the Yonko but given the fact that he had no idea where he was supposed to go he could only guess.

Guessing had never been his strong suit and as it turned out the fashion would continue to hold true.

His attacker turned out to be someone Law had not expected to be around anymore, but someone he had heard about when he had been researching the Yonkos forces. The man was tall enough to easily tower even over the strawhat crews cyborg and he had thick muscles that rippled with every move yet did not hinder his speed as the first attack had proven.

The most catching feature about him was neither his physic nor his height though, it was the fact that his whole body was riddled with gruesome scars.

Burn marks, cuts, gunshot, bites... the man had scars from all of them, layering each other and twisting his features.

"You are Dober... Kaidous former first mate."

The mans grinned widened and the scars on his face twisted into a grimace

"Quite right, except for the former part."

Law swallowed and adjusted his grip his sword.

"They said Kaidou killed you years ago."

He got no answer to that question except for a brutal punch that he barely managed to dodge.

Dober straighten from his position, standing in the crater that his attack had created.

"So they say my captain killed me."

The man laughed and it wasn't a pleasant sound.

"Yet here I am. Stronger then ever before."

With that his skin rippled and scales began to crawl over his skin reminding Law of the dragon on Punk Hazard. There wasn't much time to admire the transformation before him however, because the man attacked him again even when the scales where still forming.

As he dodged the attack the laughing man had aimed at him Law could only hope that Luffy would manage to hold her own against Kaidou until someone came to back her up, since his fight wasn't going to be easy.

–

Unlike the time Luffy had been fighting Doflamingo the room in which the young womans fight with Kaidou had taken place was not damaged. It simply didn't exist anymore.

Part of Law felt inexplicably thankful that he had not been there to take part in it, his abilities could be destructive if he chose to use them that way, but in general it wasn't the way he preferred to fight, he wasn't someone who won his fights based by force alone, but instead by careful planning, while the other part of him was horrified and worried.

What kind of damage would attacks do to the body of a person when stone walls seemed to have crumbled under them?

He skirted around the corner of what used to be a hallway and entered a great open room which seemed to have lost its ceiling during the battle.

Rubble lay on the floor, blocking his view and he had to take a few steps into the room before he first spied anything but fallen rubble.

Then his gaze landed on Luffy and Law felt like time had come to an halt because Luffy was not a person who was supposed to be still. She was full of energy and always moving.

The only time he had seen her as unmoving as she was now had been after Marineford where her life had nearly been over. Back then she had been breathing, but now Law wasn't sure if she was even doing that.

The stillness of her body could not be described as anything but unnatural.

His movements were mechanic as he walked over to her fallen body, knelt down beside her and checked her pulse with disturbingly unsteady hands.

It took him some time to find her pulse, whether it was because of the fact that he couldn't be sure it hadn't been his own hands shacking he had felt instead of the gently flutter of her heartbeat.

In the end Law not only felt her heartbeat but also noticed the uneven, but still there, rise and fall of her chest. He released the air he hadn't realized he had been holding.

It was only then that he realized that in his worry he had made a gave mistake that could have cost him his life. He hadn't even paused to figure out where Luffys opponent, beaten or otherwise was.

Immediately his hand fell to his nodachi and he let his gaze wander around the space where the fight between Luffy and Kaidou had taken place.

As his gaze landed on the former Yonko he froze for a moment wondering how he could have missed the man to begin with.

Kaidou was obviously in no positing to be a danger to anyone and also very much dead. There was not a shroud of doubt about it given that half of the mans chest was missing and he seemed to be impaled on what might once have been a pillar supporting the now nonexistent ceiling.

It was a grotesque sight, but Law forced his gaze away and focused his attention on Luffy again. Cataloging her injuries he was very glad that he had taken to carrying around a first aid kit.

While it wouldn't be enough to patch her up, it might just be enough to stabilize her condition long enough for Chopper to arrive with more supplies.

As Law began working on saving Luffys live once more, he could not prevent his mind from wandering back to the promise the young woman had asked him to give her after the fight with Doflamingo.

He had declined to give it to her, but now, with her blood coating his hands and straining his clothes he desperately wished he had agreed and asked the same promise from her in return.

But he hadn't and there was nothing he could do instead of trying to save her life and hope that it was enough.

"Don't you dare die on me."

–

Thankfully Luffy did not die but she did not wake up either.

Law had never been that emotionally invested in one of his critical patients before, his crew had the decency not to get themselves that badly hurt after all, and he did not want to know how he would have taken it if she had died.

As it was he rarely left her side. He could get away with it only because she is lying in the infirmary of his submarine and that is only because he was the one who found and treated her instead of Chopper who had been unconscious after winning his fight.

And maybe because no one saw it fit to move her to the Sunny given that the medical facilities were superior where he had brought her.

The infirmary had been the place he spend most of his time anyway so no one questioned him when he spend hours after hours holed up there pretending to be doing his work or studying the things he had taken from the factory on Desserossa when in reality he spend the time alone staring at the unmoving captain.

Technically he should be plotting his next move and observing the fallout from the successful dethroning of the yonko, but instead he was simply sitting on a chair staring at Luffy and hoping that she would wake up or at least eat, something her crew had reported she was perfectly capable of even when asleep, and wondering if this situation could have been evaded had he come up with a better strategy.

It was a redundant trail of thought given Luffys inability to follow a plan but Law found himself contemplating it again and again.

Most of the time members of the Strawhat pirates where there as well, most notably the first mate who would look at Law with shrewd eyes but said nothing, so he spent at least some time actually doing his work if only to have an explanation for why he would not leave the room.

When Luffy finally woke up however it was in the middle of the night and everyone but Law, who had been perusing some of the documents the yonko had horded, and the one keeping watch outside where fast asleep.

Soft unintelligible words snapped him out of his reading and drew his attention to the bed on which Strawhat had been resting before.

In a heartbeat Law was on his feed and by the bedside of the young woman who stared up at him with unfocused eyes and repeated the words again.

It was only on the third try that Law understood what she wanted and when he did he could not suppress an amused snort.

"Meat..."

She stared directly into his eyes and there was a challenge there, it was clear that she would not let anyone get in the way of her meal.

Law grinned amused and relieved at the same time and gave her a curt nod.

"I will see to it."

And so he did.

Calling for the cook to prepare lots of meat not only got the cook into gear, but also the Strawhat pirates to them in record time.

They filled the room and Law stepped back from the bed to allow her own crew better access and leaned against the far side of the room while contemplating whether he should leave them alone for a while when Luffy looked up and met his gaze over the heads of her crew, her smile widening.

He didn't leave, instead he gave her a short nod and closed his eyes, feeling like a great wight had been lifted from his shoulders, Luffy was finally moving again and that the memory of the unnatural stillness he had found her in and in which she had stayed for far to long was finally no more than a memory.

–

The time to separate had come.

They had managed to overcome both Doflamingo and Kaidou after all and those were the goals on which they had forged an alliance and even the fact that Law had grown strangely used to , maybe even fond off, the Strawhat pirates and their antics over the course of their partnership would change that.

In the privacy of his own mind he could admit that he would miss them but it wasn't a thought that he would ever voice out loud. One thing was for certain – this would not be the last time their path would cross. But despite all his planing and scheming, Law could for the life of him not find any excitement at the thought of not only meeting her and her crew again, but also fighting him that time.

Still this was the life he had chosen and he would life with it, it was his own fault for growing attached. He had had an inkling of it on Desserossa after the fight with Doflamingo when Luffy had hugged him and his own reaction to her injuries after the fight with Kaidou had pretty much confirmed it: He had grown too fond of his ally, especially Luffy.

And because of that fact alone it was good that they would split up now, he did not need an attachment to a rival, it would only get in his way in the long run.

It didn't matter that Luffys smile had by now followed him into his dreams as well, time would cure him of it and it wasn't like his attraction to her would go anywhere because no matter how intuitive the Strawhat captain was, there were some things about which she was terribly dense.

It was a good thing though.

As soon as they separated Law was sure he would manage to convince himself of it as well.

Most of the Strawhat pirates had already boarded their own ship, only Luffy was left, crouching on the railing of the hart pirates submarine.

This was goodbye.

Law swallowed, his throat suddenly suspiciously dry as he looked at the grinning young woman.

"We did good work."

Despite his inner turmoil his voice was steady and he relaxed a little.

Luffys grin widened in response.

"We sure did."

Then she nodded as if coming to a decision and placed one hand on top of her head, a gesture that Law had seen quite a number of times by now. It was something she did when she was serious and for a moment Law was unsure what was about to happen. He had never been able to predict her and her moods and he had never been to good with surprises.

Then she continued and Law was torn between giddy relief and unease.

"And when we meet up next time we will have another party."

Luffy laughed her unique laugh, the one that Law was sure he could pick out in a crowned by now.

"We are allies after all."

Law opened his mouth to remind her of the fact that their alliance had been formed to take down Kaidou and nothing else, Doflamingo had been a bonus, not unexpected, but not really part of the agreement either, before he could say one word however he made the mistake of meeting her eyes.

Or maybe it hadn't been a mistake, fact was, that as soon as he did so he closed his mouth again.

Their was a challenge in her eyes. Luffy was aware of the fact that their alliance was technically over, yet she did not want that to happen. She gave him a choice. That was probably what surprised him the most, usually she simply went, did stuff and everything fell into place around her.

A small smile found its way on his face and he gave up, maybe he would manage to gain immunity due to exposure in the future.

"We sure will."

Imminently her entire face lit up and her grin got even wider and she laughed slightly closing her eyes. When she opened them again Law had just enough time to notice something flicker through her eyes, he did not get the time to analyze it however because suddenly her hand was at the back of his neck and she pulled him towards her none to gently pressing their lips together.

For what felt like a moment, but was probably no more then a few seconds, Law actually froze before he caught himself and responded to the kiss. It wasn't the first time Law had kissed somebody, neither was it the first time he had been kissed, but he could not deny that this was by far the most inspiring kisses he had been given in his life.

Luffy pulled him closer and one of his hands was well on his way to the edge of he vest when someone cleared his throat.

Law jerked back blinking in surprise, as he had actually forgotten they had company, while Luffy simply grinned at her first mate who was standing on the back of the Thousand Sunny and looking down on them with an amused grin.

Evidently he had been the one who had interrupted them and Law felt caught whether he should be glad about the interruption or not. Given that he usually wasn't very fond of public displays of affection, or at least attraction, it was probably a mix of both.

Before he could figure out how he was supposed to act in this situation however Luffy took this decision out of his hands by giving him another kiss. This one a lot more brief then the last.

After that she grinned before stretching her arms and pulling herself up to her ship, where she stood grinning down on them.

"Till the next time shishishi."

As if her crew had been waiting for those words the sails of the Sunny lowered and caught the wind setting the ship into motion. Law could make out the navigators voice giving orders in the background, but his attention remained fixed on Luffy who was returning his haze a smile on her face that was different from her usual one – this one was much softer.

Then it was gone replaced by her signature grin again as she raised her hand and waved goodbye.

"It was nice fighting alongside you guys."

Bepo was the first one who started to wave back and one after another the heart pirates joined in as well. Law was the last one to raise his hand in farewell, his mind still reeling, wondering what had just occurred.

They were still standing on the deck of their submarine, watching as the Strawhat pirates ship sailed farther and farther away from them when Bepo made a sound of realization.

The sound startled Law out of the state of disbelieve he had descended into after the very public and very suggestive kiss Luffy had given him and made him lower his still waving hand. He glanced to the side and the expression on Bepos face replaced his surprise with dread.

"Captain is in love."

Penguin chuckled, but he was nodding in agreement and most of the other members of the crew seemed to acknowledge the statement as truth as well.

"You have always been good at picking things up Bepo."

Shachis voice was serious, but his lips were twitching in amusement.

The other members of his crew weren't even trying to restrain their laughter while Law rolled his eyes, not bothering to interfere. It didn't matter what he said, the situation could only get worse.

If he tried to convince them that he was not in love with Strawhat, which he wasn't he was simply a little fond of her, they would continue to tease him and tell him that he was in denial.

Which he wasn't.

"Oi!"

Laws eyes snapped from the sail of the Thousand Sunny towards Luffy who was waving at them.

"Trafalgar Law!"

This was the first time she had said his name correctly and the feeling of accomplishment and pleasure it shot through him took him by surprise.

"I am still going to be pirate king."

Law could not help the small smile that found its way onto his face. Say what you will Strawhat was special in more ways then one. And even if he considered himself to be a contestant for the title as well, he could not help feeling that she might just be right.

The realization that he would not mind such an outcome to much surprised him but he knew that even if he did not reach his goal, as long as Luffy was around life would never be boring or predictable.

The smile on his wave grew wider and even if he was sure that his crew would tease him for he it raised his arm and waved back.

"Prove it!"

The sound of her laughter drifted over to them and Law chuckled a little as he lowered his hand.

Bepo made another sound of realization and for a moment Law froze considering just for a moment that jumping into the ocean to distract Bepo from whatever he was going to say miht be a good idea.

The wicked grin on Shachis and Penguins faces were bad enough, but the captain knew with every fiber of his being that whatever the polar bear was about to say would make the situation much, much worse.

"If she is going to be the king, does that make captain the queen?"

For a moment the only noise was the sound of the waves crashing against their submarine then Shachi snorted and the whole crew descended into howling laughter.

Law gave a deep sight, his eyes still on the disappearing ship trying to figure out how he was going to save this situation.

Maybe it would have been better had he jumped after all.

–

It was when both crews had anchored at the same island some time later that Law was first confronted with the consequences of Strawhat Luffys obvious interest in him.

If Law was honest with himself he should have expected it, but because he hadn't he was caught by surprise when the greenhaired swordsman cornered him when the crews were preparing for the inevitable party.

"If you hurt her I will make you regret it."

Zoros voice sounded even friendly even and if it had not been for the fact that he was holding his swords against Laws throat he could very well be making pleasant conversation. The smile on his face was absolutely feral however.

It was clear that despite not being the official first mate, Zoro was taking the position that he held in the eyes of the crew and pretty much everyone else very seriously.

Usually Law would have tried to make light of the situation or attempted to distract Zoro with sarcasm, but the look in the other mans eyes told him that that would be a very bad idea.

"I won't."

The unnerving eyes studied him for a moment longer, before the swordsman nodded tersely and lowered his weapons. Law noted that he did not sheath them though.

They stood in silence for a moment longer, ignoring the sounds of the party that had already started without them, and measuring the other with their eyes.

It was Zoro who finally broke their staring contest but not because Law had out stared him. Instead he started to laugh loudly.

Curious despite himself Law raised a questioning eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

The swordsmans laughter that had dwindled down already started again as soon as he glanced up at Law. It took him several moments to regain his bearings and the captain of the Heart pirates was beginning to feel truly annoyed before the other finally answered him.

"You being Luffys more or less significant other would make you the future pirate queen, wouldn't it?"

Immediately Law froze as an echo of Bepos words from some time ago rang through his head and he remembered that could not, would not allow that to happen. There was no way in hell that Trafalgar Law was going to accept being any ones queen. Not even Strawhats.

"I am not her significant other."

Zoros lips twitches suspiciously.

"Of course not."

Law glared.

"I am not and I won't be a freaking queen either."

This time Zoro could not contain his laughter and the fact that he sounded truly amused - as if Law had said something truly ridiculous - unnerved Law more then the fact that he still held his swords in his hands.

"You really think you have a choice?"

Zoro was still chuckling when he walked away, leaving Law to his thoughts.

It was bad enough that Bepo repeatedly called him queen, now someone else had seemed to have picked it up as well. That was bad. Very bad.

A new sense of determination filled him. He would be the one to be the pirate king, if only so he wasn't going to be called queen.

–

Luffys pace as it turned out was even easier to get caught up in then Doflamingos had been. He had always liked her in someway, despite being convinced that there was no way this would work out in the long run.

Attraction was a dangerous thing and Law had had no interest in getting caught up in something that he would not be capable of getting out of ever again.

He had noted shortly after meeting the young woman that there was nothing she did by halves. That also included relationships. Relationships between to captains usually were considered doomed to fail, because in the end even if they were allied in some way, a captains first priority was always supposed to be his or her crew.

The only reason that the two of them seemed to be an exception in the end, was the fact that not only were they allied, but that Luffy was also Luffy. Impossible did not exist for her. In retrospect maybe he should have known that it was a struggle he would not win, especially since he did not really want to.

He enjoyed the outcome far to much.

They were lying in bed, Luffys head resting on his naked chest and Law was feeling slightly drowsy and about to go to sleep, when she asked him a question that he hadn't expected.

"So are you going to be my queen?"

For a moment Law froze, wondering if she realized that her words could very well be counted as a marriage proposal. Then he pushed his shock aside. It didn't matter which way she meant it, in the end the answer would be the same anyway.

So he simply looked at her for a moment, a slight smile on his face as she looked at him earnestly, obviously waiting for his reaction.

"Of course."

Her smile was radiant but Law continued as he pulled her towards himself.

"And if I become the pirate king, you will be my queen."

She looked at him with that adorable pout on her face and sat up straddling his hips.

"But I am going to be king."

The grin on her face was wicked and as she leaned down to kiss him Law felt something suspiciously like resignation in the back of his mind. Resignation to the fact that one day she would be pirate king, even if that meant that he would have to get used to being referred to as her queen.

He had never intended to get caught up in her pace but here he was and there was no way out now, he didn't even want one, trouble or not one thing was for sure – his life would never be boring again. Everything else he could handle because Luffy was worth it.

That did not mean however, that he would go down without a fight.


End file.
